Sir Lewis Hamilton fighting from eighth in first race with Ferrari

Sir Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari

Lando Norris claimed the first pole position of the 2025 Formula 1 season with a stellar performance in Melbourne, securing his 10th career pole in what was one of the closest qualifying sessions in recent times. The Brit edged out teammate Oscar Piastri by just 0.084s, giving McLaren a front-row lockout to kick off the new season in style.

"It's the perfect way to start the year," said Norris. "First of all, a big congratulations to the team — an amazing job to continue from where we left off at the end of last season and to start with a 1-2.

However, the Brit was careful not to get ahead of himself, acknowledging that this was only qualifying and the real challenge still lies ahead.

"But it's just qualifying, so let's wait and see. I know tomorrow will be a tricky race, but for today, it’s the perfect way to kick things off."

Piastri, who was chasing pole in front of his home crowd, settled for second, but was pleased with the overall performance.

"It's obviously great to start the year on the front row," said the Australian. "It's one position further back than I would have liked, but it's a great start to the year, great to have the team on the front row. Pretty happy with how qualifying went—just not quite enough in Q3, but it's the start to a long season, so I'm pretty happy with a solid start."

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen rounded out the top three after a tough Friday, but the reigning champion was satisfied with his recovery.

"Yesterday was quite tough, so for us to be in P3 today, I'll take that," he said. "The quali laps are very exciting, a lot of good grip around here and some fast corners, so that's always fun in an F1 car."

Behind the top three, George Russell placed fourth for Mercedes, followed by an impressive fifth place from Yuki Tsunoda for the Racing Bulls. Williams also enjoyed a strong session, with Alexander Albon qualifying sixth.

Charles Leclerc managed seventh for Ferrari, finishing just ahead of teammate Sir Lewis Hamilton in eighth, as the seven-time world champion continues to adapt to life in red. Pierre Gasly secured ninth for Alpine Renault, while Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten in the second Williams Mercedes.

Hamilton’s first qualifying session with Ferrari marked an encouraging start, even if there is still work to be done. He admitted he was surprised by the gap to the front but remained optimistic about the team’s potential.

"I definitely didn't expect us to be as far off as we were," Hamilton said. "But to be that close to Charles in the end in my first qualifying session in this car, which I am still learning, I think we did a good job."

A standout performer in qualifying was Yuki Tsunoda, who put his Racing Bulls car in fifth place, a strong showing to start the season.

"That was the best of my previous runs throughout the week so far," Tsunoda said.

"Combined with everything, that lap time came a bit out of nowhere."

The Japanese driver later revealed he received a slight advantage from the slipstream of McLaren's Lando Norris during his flying lap.

"I got a bit of help from Lando until Turn 9 with the tow," he explained. "Very happy, but also, I think the car pace throughout the week was consistently good, so that gives me extra confidence into qualifying. Huge credit to the team."

It was a weekend to forget for Haas' Oliver Bearman, whose misfortune continued in qualifying. After crashing in Free Practice one (FP1), sitting out FP2, and crashing again in FP3, the Haas rookie was unable to even take part in qualifying after reporting an early gearbox failure.

"A bit disappointed, of course, to not be able to get a lap on the board, but it's been a messy weekend so far," Bearman admitted. "I think tomorrow will be interesting anyway, and then we can put it to bed."

As always, qualifying delivered its share of surprises and disappointments, with a mix of rookies and midfield runners falling short of the final shootout.

Q1 saw a dramatic early exit for Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will start from 16th on the grid after being knocked out in his first Formula One qualifying session. He was joined by Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber), Liam Lawson (Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT), Esteban Ocon (Haas), and Oliver Bearman, who was unable to take part in the session due to a gearbox failure.

In Q2, Isack Hadjar narrowly missed out on a spot in the top ten, settling for 11th place in the Racing Bulls Honda RBPT. Also eliminated were Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll for Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes, along with Jack Doohan (Alpine) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber).

Final Qualifying Order – Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025

1.  Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1:15.096

2.  Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.084

3.  Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT) +0.385

4.  George Russell (Mercedes) +0.450

5.  Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls Honda RBPT) +0.574

6.  Alexander Albon (Williams) +0.641

7.  Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.659

8.  Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.877

9.  Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +0.884

10. Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.966

11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls Honda RBPT) – 1:16.175

12. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes) – 1:16.453

13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes) – 1:16.483

14. Jack Doohan (Alpine) – 1:16.863

15. Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber) – 1:17.520

16. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1:16.525

17. Nico Hülkenberg (Kick Sauber) – 1:16.579

18. Liam Lawson (Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT) – 1:17.143

19. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 1:17.147

20. Oliver Bearman (Haas) – No Time

Sir Lewis Hamilton fighting from eighth in first race with Ferrari by Damian Hall